


For Each Choice (the Call Me Merlin remix)

by wyvern



Category: Dollhouse, Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Angst, Background Character Death, Dubious Consent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Prequel, Remix, Sad, Unhappy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 05:58:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6458638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wyvern/pseuds/wyvern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur made a mistake but Merlin is the one who has to pay for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For Each Choice (the Call Me Merlin remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [teprometo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teprometo/gifts).
  * Inspired by [A Mournful Rustling in the Dark](https://archiveofourown.org/works/471957) by [teprometo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/teprometo/pseuds/teprometo). 



> teprometo, thank you for being a joy to remix for. You made this writer very happy with such amazing fics to choose from! Sorry I didn't choose your starred work, but A Mournful Rustling in the Dark was the one that hit me the hardest. I really hope you like what it inspired.
> 
> 'Merlin' does not belong to me and I'm just playing with the characters. Thank you to Jess and Demi for the beta! Any remaining errors are my own.
> 
> I tagged the fic with dubcon to be on the safe side. The sexy times in the fic is 100% consensual, but the rest of the story kind-of isn't.

~~~***~~~

Arthur's fucked up. After Uther died, he tried to save the company he’d inherited from being bought out, by borrowing money from... a dubious source, to say the least. But it’d been the only option, and Arthur had been desperate.

He lost the company anyway.

~~~***~~~

The building is enormous and threatening. For those unfamiliar with what the Dollhouse does, it looks like a rather anonymous high-rise in a rather anonymous part of the business district, but Arthur’s _knows_. He knows what they trade in. He knows there are consequences for failing them like he has.

He beats down his fight/flight response as he’s efficiently patted-down by the security guard and is shown towards an open door.

When he steps into the sleek office, he wants nothing more than to turn and walk back out. The room is styled beautifully, but there’s tension in the air, and it’s stifling. Ms. DeWitt, a beautiful brown-haired woman in her forties, manages the difficult feat of looking both dangerous and relaxed, like a lioness knowing she has her prey cornered.

“Tea?” she offers, and gestures for Arthur to take a seat.

He nods and sits down on the sofa. He wipes his sweaty hands on his trousers as Ms. DeWitt has her back turned to prepare the tea, but her smile when she turns around is knowing.

“So, Mr. Pendragon...” she says.

She lets the words hang between them for a little too long as she serves Arthur his tea and then sits down opposite him.

“Or may I call you Arthur?”

Arthur swallows thickly. 

“Of course.”

The Dollhouse pretty much owns him now, so they can call him whatever they want, but he doesn’t tell Ms. DeWitt that. Instead, he tries to smile, but the smile somehow gets stuck somewhere on the way to his lips.

“Excellent,” she says. “Arthur, I’m sorry to hear that your business venture didn’t quite work out...”

Arthur’s pretty sure she’s not really sorry.

~~~***~~~

When Merlin comes home that evening, Arthur tries to be strong. He kisses Merlin hello, grins at the lame joke he gets as a reply and busies himself with cooking pasta while Merlin changes out of his work clothes into jogging bottoms and a t-shirt that’s seen better days.

He lets Merlin carry the conversation throughout dinner, and he thinks he’s gotten away with it until they’re doing the dishes, and Merlin asks him flat out what’s wrong.

“Nothing,” Arthur lies and tries to keep his voice even. “Nothing at all.”

But it’s not like he can keep it a secret forever. If the Dollhouse makes an example of him — something Ms. DeWitt had casually mentioned in passing, like it’s no big deal — Merlin will probably notice if Arthur disappears without a trace.

He knows they need to talk, but Merlin’s too smart and catches on before Arthur’s ready to bring it up himself.

“It’s about the company, isn’t it?”

Too fucking smart.

~~~***~~~

“So you— you went and borrowed money and now you might—”

Merlin breaks off in the middle of a sentence, but Arthur doesn’t need him to continue.

“Yeah,” he says instead. “But—”

“No fucking buts, Arthur! What the fuck were you thinking? There must’ve been another option, there must have been someone—”

Arthur shakes his head and explains again. No one else would give him the loan. No one else was willing to take the risk.

The reckless, _stupid_ risk, he thinks but doesn’t say.

Merlin looks like he’s having a really bad dream and is more than ready to wake up from it. Arthur can sympathise.

“I need to pay them back. She said they can’t use me because I’m too well-known. A high-profile businessman. Or, _son_ of...”

“Use you for _what?_ ”

“It’s—” Arthur takes a deep breath. “I-it’s—”

“Arthur?”

“It’s... a kind of dream factory.”

Merlin looks taken aback, but still wary. “What?”

“Merlin...”

“No.” Merlin shakes his head. “No. A dream factory? What the _fuck_ is that supposed to mean?”

“It is, sort of. It’s... Look, you won’t remember anything afterwards.”

“Me? But you—”

“I can’t— They don’t want _me_.”

Arthur watches as the cogs slide into place, and his stomach's heavy with guilt. He’ll never forget Merlin’s face when he realises what Arthur’s done. It’s like watching an old oil painting crack and turn into dust. He expected anger and Merlin _is_ angry, but underneath the anger, there’s something else. There’s... disgust, and Arthur deserves all of it.

“You... used me as collateral for your loan. Is that what you did, Arthur?”

“No! It was supposed to be me. T-they didn’t tell me they couldn’t use me until afterwards. Merlin, please—”

But before Arthur can finish the sentence, Merlin’s out the door. Gone.

~~~***~~~

Much, much later when Arthur hears the door open and close, he stumbles off the sofa and out into the hallway and is met by a soaking wet and miserable-looking Merlin.

“I thought you loved me.”

Merlin’s voice is low and hurt. Suddenly it's like Arthur’s intestines have been replaced with barbed wire, it hurts so much to hear Merlin doubt that he loves him.

“I do,” he says. “I love you more than anything.”

He wraps his arms around Merlin’s waist and buries his head in his neck. When Merlin hugs him back, he cries for the first time since they told him he’d lost the company. He knows he doesn’t deserve to be comforted, but he’s so lost. Merlin is the only one who can save him, and they both know it.

Merlin cries too.

~~~***~~~

They fuck slowly, rocking together without much heat, like they’re trying to make it last forever. Arthur kisses Merlin’s fingertips and thinks he’ll never forgive himself for going through with this... but he doesn’t want to die either. He hears Merlin whisper, over and over again with every thrust of his hips, that he loves Arthur and that everything will be fine.

It’ll be fine, it’ll be fine, it’ll be fine, it’ll be fine.

When Merlin falls asleep next to him, Arthur’s almost believes it will.

~~~***~~~

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Emrys. Please have a seat. Tea?”

~~~***~~~

Merlin kisses Arthur slowly, softly.

“It’ll be fine, Arthur. We’ll be fine.”

“Yeah,” Arthur whispers and swallows hard. “It’ll be fine.”

Then, Merlin turns towards Ms. DeWitt. “I’ll be safe, right?”

She nods. “Completely. You’ll be well taken care of. And you and Arthur get to see each other monthly, as agreed.”

Then she delicately turns away to give them a bit of privacy as Merlin looks back at Arthur.

“Merlin,” Arthur whispers urgently, “I know we said, but— Don’t go. Please, Merlin, I can’t—”

But Merlin only kisses him again. “Five years are nothing. We’ll be free if I do this.”

There’s a shadow crossing Merlin’s face and for a moment Arthur thinks Merlin will change his mind, but then he shakes his head slightly. “Arthur, it’s only time. We’ll be fine. You can do this.”

It’s his fault Merlin’s doing this, but he can’t say no when the alternative is even worse. Arthur grips Merlin’s hands and holds them against his chest, trying to convey everything he wants to say that way. “Thank you,” he whispers.

Playing with the thin fabric of his shirt, Merlin replies, almost inaudibly, “I love you,” before he steps back and lets his hands fall away from Arthur’s body.

All the words get stuck in Arthur’s throat and he swallows down the tears as he watches Ms. DeWitt walk out of the room with Merlin trailing behind. In the doorway Merlin turns back and looks at him one last time before smiling sadly and closing the door.

Gone.

~~~***~~~


End file.
